- EDITORS

I recently found myself thinking about the times I was studying sculpture. So I decided to go ahead and make one.

I’ve had an illness in the family recently, and so I thought I would base it around that. With limited resources (and energy) I took to collecting used ice lolly sticks.

I placed them in polystyrene; In an assorted way.

I then went on to drip ink onto the piece to portray family struggles.

The hard part is that I had to capture all of these in absolute pitch black. So to realign the camera or change settings, I had to fumble around for the light switch. It was a sore one, lying on my side for so long.

The whole concept focuses on different family members, their views and differences.

As always, they are for sale, and by all means purchase any if you please, especially if you can relate to the concept described above.

- Michael J Fox

Well, that’s another Christmas passed. Time flies, huh? You’ll be wondering if I was cutting about with my Christmas hat on taking photos of my family by the fire.

The answer to that is, no.

I went to my in laws this Christmas, and I planned a collection named ‘Family’. However I wanted to use the urban environment to demonstrate this rather than the classic Christmas selfies. (Nothing wrong with a group selfie on Christmas day!!)

This Christmas was great, but also a dark time for me, as one of the people I care most about had to spend it in hospital. The thing about photography, painting, sclupture or any art form, is that you can utilise emotion in your work.

I was surrounded by those I love, yet constantly, at the back of my mind was worry. My work is dark anyway, and I have developed a particular style over the last decade, but when you don’t feel great, you choose different subject matter, and find the experimental side of it all easier. Here is an example:

This was shot when I noticed the lighting in the hospital shortly before I prepared to travel up north for Christmas. I found the chair quite imposing; wondering how many patients or visitors might have sat in it.

For the rest of the break up north I just decided to take it easy with the camera, but I still wanted to reflect on the worry I was feeling at the time. Expressing that was the difficult part. Then I thought about, holding on for life. Gravity. Lost souls. All these things went through my mind. Then, through playing about during editing I finally found what I wanted to say:

Don’t worry, they are supposed to be upside down. Sometimes your world isn’t straight. Sometimes things feel awful, and sometimes people have to hold on. Turning the photos around like this were the only way I could portray this.

I then decided to show a bit of the warmth of Christmas, (obviously with the Tenth Floor slant)

Then it was properly time for the city. I had never been to Old Aberdeen before, so I was really looking forward to this shoot:

The last two shots following, I focused on were through the immense blue light. I had to adjust the camera settings wildly to up the immense shadows and bring out the highlights when I was editing later on.

Aside from the despair of having such a close family member incredibly unwell, we have to keep going, and showing the world what we have to offer. Yes, it does come out in your work, but you perservere.

It was fantastic to see my extended family again!

Remember that every image on Tenth Floor Photography is for sale, even in blog posts such as this, so get in touch if you like what you see.

“Photographers are just vehicles. They’re taxis. You use a taxi to get where you want to go. You use a photographer to show something you want to see. I’m no different; except that I was showing people things they did not want to see.” – Don McCullin [1]

*WARNING: Some viewers may find photographic content disturbing*

Have you ever stood in front of a photograph and felt like the eyes of the person photographed are staring right back at you, boring into your very soul? Have you ever felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, goose bumps spread across your skin, tears prick at your eyes as you look? Have you ever felt your chest tighten and your palms go sweaty as your mind processes the image?

In the case of Don McCullin’s photographic work, it is a challenge not to respond in at least one of these ways. Despite his dislike for such a dismal stereotyping of his work and photographic portfolio, McCullin is best known as a war photographer. Documenting wars in Cyprus, Biafra, Cambodia and Beirut; famine and disease in Bangladesh; the conflicts in Vietnam and Northern Ireland; as well as the African AIDs epidemic; McCullin’s portfolio paints a bleak and harrowing picture of the world. Between the years of 1966 and 1984, McCullin worked as an oversees correspondent for the Sunday Times Magazine, accumulating and documenting some of his most renowned and graphic work. Despite his lack of professional training, McCullin developed a gritting photographic eye; capturing angles and people in a highly distinctive monochromatic style.

In the contemporary climate of digital circulation and image accumulation online, our eyes have become increasingly accustomed to disturbing and violet images. Yet during the era in which McCullin was actively working, the publication of gruesome photographic journalism was only just beginning. For the first time in history, people watched bombs blast across the TV screens in their living rooms. People for the first time made their breakfast toast and opened their newspapers to find the horrors brought home to their kitchen.

A U.S Marine Throws a grenade before being shot through his left hand.

A Marine is carried by tank through the ruins of Citadel

McCullin’s first camera was a £30 Rolleicord; a medium-format twins lens reflex camera. Growing up in the deprived area of north London, McCullin’s career was launched through his documentation of a group of friends who were in a local gang. From an early age he recorded scenes of poverty and working-class life in London; trained his eye to capture the human elements amongst the social chaos and depravity.

Towards an Iron Age hill fort, Somerset, 1991

Brutally honest and incredibly human, McCullin won the trust of the subjects he photographed. He not only looked through his camera, but he looked into their lives. Never the intention to shock; merely to document, McCullin sadly claims “I only use the camera like I use a toothbrush. It does the job” [2]. One of his most renowned and circulated works is the photograph seen below, depicting a shell-shocked US marine awaiting his removal from the front line during the Tet Offensive 1968 in Vietnam. The soldier sits rigid, unseeing; gripping his gun upright. McCullin’s camera shutter went several times in front of the soldier and yet he did not blink once. He looks out and over the viewer, a glazed look in his eyes. Shot intimately and personally by McCullin, this arresting photograph captures the pain and trauma of the front line.

Not one to shy away from the travesties of war, McCullin travelled widely and actively to record the resulting devastation of conflicts. He believed that through his photographs, he was giving voice and “speaking for the victims of the casualties of war” [4]. This is certainly true of the image below. It records a wounded father and child in Vietnam, injured when soldiers dropped hand grenades into their bunker. As a viewer, the image is haunting; the child’s eyes stare back whilst the father gazes miserably into the distance. Again, in this instance, McCullin uses his camera to record; to freeze in time a singular moment of trauma and to use the photograph as a tool in “silent protest against the futility of war” [4]

Inevitably, the horrors McCullin witnessed haunted him. He had nightmares and a developed a need to seek calm and peace from the images he’d created. He therefore took solace in nature and began documenting stretches of English countryside, as for him the “landscape became a process of healing” [3]. Highly evocative and uncompromising in their signature McCullin moody and monochrome palette, his landscapes represent a road to the future; one that perhaps might one day, be devoid of pain and violence.

Thundering skies, sprawling roads and the presence of water are recurring features of McCullin’s landscape photography. He has an immaculate eye for composition and an acute power to convey the intense beauty of nature; successfully bringing his skills as a documentary photographer into play.

Given his impressive work and extensive photographic portfolio, not mention his years of photojournalism, McCullin has been awarded both an OBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) and Hons FRPS (Fellowship of The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain). Titles, he most certainly deserves.

]]>TFPI.03 - Art History With CamillaTFP.BA - BLOODWISE CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERTDavid GulliverTue, 18 Dec 2018 21:28:00 +0000https://www.tenthfloorphotography.com/blog/2018/12/18/tfpba-bloodwise-christmas-carol-concert58b09deb1e5b6cfbfeb1fe36:58b4b5546a49630b4301b379:5c194c2a032be4dac423d80c“Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall; the genial flame of charity in the heart”

Washington Irving

On 11th of December, myself and Christina were hired to capture the wonderful Bloodwise Carol Concert at the spectacular St Gile’s Cathedral.

As with all photography jobs, you never really know what to expect; even if you’ve been given a brief. Something always pops up. In this case it was lighting…

We were given a usual warm welcome at the door by a Bloodwise Team Member and generously given free access. This was a sold out show, and it was a pleasure to have been Bloodwises’ choice of photographers.

Shivering with cold and nerves, we began to seek out our photography hiding spot. With an ever increasing arsenal of lenses, my bag is the heaviest it’s ever been. It was a relief to get that off my shoulders, I can tell you. It was like a proton pack. (I hope everyone reading this gets the reference!)

After stretching out a little, my heart sank. See, the thing is, I’ve been taking photos in St Gile’s and other cathedrals for 13 years, but not of a concert in one.

The problem is shutter speed. Even with flash, the people are moving, and so you are bound to get blur, unless you point directly at them, leaving the photos washed out and removing all atmosphere. This was going to take a steady hand, diffusers on the flashes and will power. We needed to spread the light, as the ceilings in there are too high to bounce the light.

Luckily we were there in time for rehearsals, and had a chance to speak to Stacy Rowan, who has led us through previous jobs we have done for Bloodwise. A familiar face is always comforting and she is very supportive.

I had the chance to practice before the main event and realised this was possible. I got my settings right, shooting in full manual mode, and adjusting white balance.

Now it was time for the big struggle. Something I’d not thought about before we got there. DARKNESS. Of course it was going to be dark outside. And each Choir wanted group shots outside the cathedral after their rehearsal.

Christina opted for the tripod method at 50mm. I went for 18-135mm. We both used flash.

I will go ahead and say this was one of the hardest shoots I’ve ever done. Since Christina had chosen to use the tripod, she had to remain outside and wait in the freezing cold for the next group to finish. I deliberatly under-exposed knowing that they can be rescued in Lightroom as I shoot in RAW format so the files are bigger than the moon.

Time to go inside. People started arriving. A LOT of people. We changed to the settings we had used before and everything was ok.

The Carol Concert began and I was blown away. Shamefully enough, I had never seen a live Carol Concert before. I found myself regularly retiring to our designated photography corner just to listen. Christina continued tirelessly; she was enjoying the photography too much!

The concert was presented by STV’s Laura Boyd, who was warm and welcoming. Obviously I had to go and meet someone in that position. So she got her own mini photo shoot…

Although every Carol Choir were exceptional, there was a solo singer that really blew me away. In fact I only got 3 photos of her. Her name is Amy Carmichael. Amy is a cancer survivor, and she was just incredible. She finished to a standing ovation. I suppose, when you beat something like cancer standing in front of that many people is nothing. Then there’s me and Christina, creeping around, dressed in our black Tenth Floor Photography uniforms in the shadows. Photography is a stealth mission; standing up as a solo singer in front of a crowd is sheer bravery.

The evening was concluded with wine and nice chat. I was shattered. When I got home I still lay awake in bed thinking about the incredible work Stacy and Bloodwise Scotland do, and how honoured we were to be invited to capture these moments.

It was one of the fastest turnovers of photos the Tenth Floor Photography Team have ever accomplished. Here are some more for you.

A fantastic time was had by all, and Bloodwise Scotland really managed to bring out the spirit of Christmas, whilst raising life saving money. (and also challenging 2 professional photographers with lighting in a cathedral at night!)

I would like to give a huge thank you to

Forth Valley Nurses Choir

Forth Valley Chorus

Pitchcraft

Phoenix Choir

and of course, Amy Carmichael.

Congratulations to Stacy Rowan and her team for hosting such a wonderful event. Forever beating blood cancer.

To see the full selection of photos, and how to donate, please follow the link below.

- MAX PAYNE, 2001

Settling down for the Christmas season, the Tenth Floor Team haven’t been as busy as usual, but we did recently host 2 exhibitions. The most recent being “Noir”.

I gave the team a brief of black and white, but could use selective colour if they desired.

Because of personal commitments, the only people that could make it were Christina, Grant and myself, so in order to fill the space I had to create extra work; as did we all.

Due to the success of our last exhibition, the heat was on. Unlike our last exhibition, “No Man’s Land”, we opted for frames and posters to lead people to our website, and also just looked more ‘Noir’, using only black and white frames.

The opening was great fun, although I felt a little ill so had to leave early, which sucks.

We look forward to more in 2019, however, and moving on to bigger things as we approach our third year.

I apologise for the terrible photos of the photos to come, but it’s really about the art in itself. My mini home studio has taken a battering with taking these shots, my cat, and clutter in general. Here are the highlights from ‘Noir’…

These images were taken by me (when the mini studio was fine!) In the first images, I filled an old vase I’d used previously with water and dropped ink and a rose petal into it. I had to be super quick to avoid my own reflection and also to make sure the rose petals didn’t rise to the surface!!

The one on the left represents my late mother, Glenda, who I lost very young, and the other is for Christina’s mother, who also passed away too soon.

The next is called ‘Palpitations’ and focuses around panic. That cymbal was a gift to me from the drummer of Peter Hook and the Light, and I was looking more into how to represent anxiety, and the pounding of the heart. I woke up one morning and looked at that. Done.

The third selection of 3 glasses involved ink also. Black ink initially, then grey, diluting the solution, and I cropped it so that the glass appear to be rising in each frame. But still a little unsteady. I named this one simply ‘+-’.

I wanted to signify that life is never just up. It can come down at times. Those 3 photos can be re-arranged if hung on a wall to your liking.

All in all, ‘Noir’ was good fun, and effort was through the roof from the three of us!

I can’t speak for meaning behind the others’ work, you’ll have to contact us below for that! But here are the other highlights…

GRANT TAYLOR

CHRISTINA GULLIVER

Well, they are the highlights of ‘Noir’. Please stay tuned for more work, blogs and sales from the Tenth Floor.

TFP.AY - THE ICE HOUSE

“RETREAT, RETREAT AND MEET ME BY THE QUAYSIDE. IN THE END ALL YOU CAN HOPE FOR IS THE LOVE YOU’VE FELT TO EQUAL THE PAIN YOU’VE GONE THROUGH”

- EDITORS

Recently I’ve been kind of, well, not myself. Sometimes when you pour so much energy into something, you need a change of scenery. Our recent, first and still current exhibition - No Man’s Land, among other things really took it out of me.

I decided to go up North for a while to visit my in laws and my little sister. A chance to reflect and cure myself.

I had a whole morning to myself to think about everything amidst such a beautiful location. It was truly fantastic. There are some things people never teach you in school, and one is working so hard you burn out; so this was the perfect retreat to rethink things.

Because of extreme anxiety I was unsteady on my feet, and unfortunately couldn’t climb the hill to the beach, but, in the usual Tenth Floor Photography nature still managed a few shots.

Here they are:

Things are looking more positive, with a new exhibition and a new partnership too! So you can always pick yourself back up! Look forward to more from the Tenth Floor,

In order to give the team some form of inspiration, I gave them a theme of ‘Apocalypse Now’, but assured them it could be perceived as they liked.

Personally, I hadn’t exhibited anything since 2008, so I was a complete mess with nerves. However, we got the prints sorted and made our way down to the bar for set up.

Boda Bar is a great space, with plenty of wall room to set up and display. The staff were super friendly and let us do what we liked.

With the exhibition up, I realised we were really onto something special, and all of the team had made such a fantastic effort. It was incredible to see. Aside from the photography, we had video from Jamie, and music playing from Scott. Here is the work provided by me and Christina:

TFP.DAVID GULLIVER - ‘YOU’

I decided to host the opening on the 17th anniversary of my mother’s death. Morbid I know, but also a celebration. I didn’t aim for sales, but wanted to contribute something to her memory. Below, there are three images, with two roses; representing my sister and me. The water and the vase represents my mother.

It is simply a piece about the progression of cancer and how, over those quick three years, it affected my sister and I when my mother passed away only 44 years old.

TFPC.CHRISTINA GULLIVER - ‘MOURNING’

Christina had a similar idea in mind; having also lost her mother some 10 years ago. Her work is based around the mourning process.

The ignition of the fear of cancer, leading to the calm feeling after death, and then the recurring feelings as the fire of the memories re-ignite. On the outside the book looks undamaged and intact, however the core of it is burnt and singed most of the way through. This was in aid of Mental Health Week.

That was just a glimpse of No Man’s Land. There is plenty more to see down there, including work from:

Ralph Waldo Emerson

From the foundations and building of Tenth Floor Photography, I had played around with the idea of needing a model that myself and the other photographers could use.

Naturally, when building a business while working full time, this is hardly the top of your priority list. There’s all sorts of other stuff to think about, like your logo, the set up, accounts, marketing etc.

Still, saying that, I had been keeping my eye out. You know, just in case. To be honest it wasn’t high on the agenda and so I would swan about on my break at work just thinking, maybe her, oh maybe her. Nothing really happened with it. Upon quitting my full time job in finance admin, something needed to happen.

I was working part time in Doctor’s Bar. That shut at either 12 or 1AM, giving me time to nip out to Opium nightclub on my search.

Now, I had NO IDEA how to approach this. I knew I wanted a model with presence, beauty, confidence and character. But how was I supposed to approach the subject?

I spent so many nights there, pure lurking about on my own. You know, one of those men you see alone in a club and you wonder what they are doing or thinking. Have his friends all left? Or has he actively come here alone? Yeah, mine was the latter.

Then I saw Lauren. Piercing blue eyes, confidence, good looks and presence. So I’m stood there with no plan as to speak to a lass and say, ‘here, you fancy being a model?’. It took me the best part of 30 minutes and a few vodkas. She was with a friend, dancing away. I’m absolutely bricking it.

Think about it. A seedy nightclub. Going up to someone and saying, ‘Wanna be a model hen?”

I calmed myself, thought the corridor was the best place for this potentially sordid transaction of trade was to take place in. So I finished my drink, approached her and said I needed a word outside. She agreed. Phase one of the ‘interview’ complete.

Then I explained who I was, and what I did, and what I wanted to offer. I remember thinking, ‘Dave, make it legit, the business card’, so I handed her one of those.

I made a rapid exit after this, cringing beyond words, all the way home.

Miraculously, she emailed me back a couple of days later.

BOOM. There’s our Tenth Floor Model.

Since then, I have not regretted my choice one bit. Lauren is exactly what I was looking for. Sense of humour, presence and a natural ability to pose. And beauty of course. Just look at her recent shoot which will be showcased at the Boda Bar, Leith this Friday along with our other artists.

]]>TFP.AV - Lauren McMillan, The ModelTFP.AU - The SubstitutesDavid GulliverSat, 15 Sep 2018 11:17:54 +0000https://www.tenthfloorphotography.com/blog/2018/9/15/tfpau-the-substitutes58b09deb1e5b6cfbfeb1fe36:58b4b5546a49630b4301b379:5b9cdc444fa51a6452f6359f“It’s sad, actually, because my anxiety keeps me from enjoying things as much as I should at this age”

- Amanda Seyfried

I’ll get to above quote shortly, but in the meantime I’ll start by letting you know that I was hired by a Who tribute band known as The Substitutes.

It was in a venue in Glasgow known as Audio. For the first time in our gig photography history, I was alone for this one, but I was completely buzzing, as a massive Who fan. Photographically I wanted to really make this one something special.

Now, as a photographer, you start thinking about how to apply your style, the techniques you’re going to use, and really, feel out the room.

So there’s me, with the normal pre-job excitement/nervousness.

But there was something else. Like I said, I was excited for this one but then the dark anxiety kicks in. The mind starts racing, and all of a sudden getting on that bus to Glasgow becomes the most terrifying thing in the world. You feel like you’re on a boat heading to Omaha Beach on D-Day.

That’s why I used the above quote. I had previously been buzzing, with a nice type of nervousness; replaced with horror. Mmmm lovely mental health.

It didn’t help that the driver was a complete dick, shouting at me with, “hurry up, we were supposed to leave 15 minutes ago if my engine hadn’t cut out”. Yeah mate, that was me, I remotely cut off your engine from a quarter a mile down the road. Arsehole.

But, I’ve done it, I’m on the bus. It’s the weirdest thing, I’m totally fine until we hit the motorway. Then I know there aren’t anymore stops for quite some time. Trapped.

Before photoshoots I either write down plans I have or I relentlessly think about how I can do something different and original. Sometimes I’ve already thought about that beforehand.

So I swan into Glasgow, prepared yet shaking.

Instantly I knew the venue was ideal for what I had planned and I began practice on the support band. Luckily I was granted access to the dressing room so I knew I had a safe place if I needed it. And I used it A LOT.

I planned to shoot some in black and white. I had rearched some old photos of the Who performing live and wanted to replicate that style. So I set about my work:

While attempting to maintain my own Tenth Floor style, I aimed for a retro feel, moving around the front of the stage and even onto it at times, being careful not to distract the crowd’s attention from the band themselves.

The next part was the hardest. I wanted to capture psychedelic photos to mirror the style of the Who. This involved some seriously low shutter speeds, low ISO and reduced flash. It was frustrating and highly complex, but capturing light trails in this darkness without taking away from the moment IS possible:

With this complete, it was time to dance to The Seeker and try to relax and fill in the gaps:

Then realising it was time to bolt for the bus, I made my exit. Sadly I couldn’t say goodnight to the band. I left when they still had a few songs to go. Thing is, I wasn’t anxious anymore. The adrenaline of the shoot had cured me once again.

Then you get to reflect. You realise that at the time you think you’re going insane with fear and horror, but in fact you actually had a fantastic time. Memories are the arch enemy of what anxiety is trying to achieve. Plus I had that awesome feeling of, I’ve done my best gig photography yet, and I’m always improving.

Their performance was outstanding, and for any Who fans out there, I would strongly recommend them. Find them on Facebook:

@thesubstitutes-glagow

They also raise money for charity with your work, so, do your bit!

Oh, and to anxiety, here’s one for you:

TFP - David Gulliver

]]>TFPI.02 - Art History With CamillaDavid GulliverFri, 07 Sep 2018 15:23:14 +0000https://www.tenthfloorphotography.com/blog/2018/9/7/tfpi02-art-history-with-camilla58b09deb1e5b6cfbfeb1fe36:58b4b5546a49630b4301b379:5b92922b562fa7c0b9cb5e91Often the most talented artists are said to be imbued with tragedy, suffering and tragic endings. The artist Van Gogh famously cut off his own ear, the writer Virginia Woolf drowned herself in a river and various musicians lost their lives at the age of merely twenty-seven. Art and tragedy, creative practice and suffering, have often gone hand in hand to produce some of the most beautiful and evocative artwork. The same can be said for photographer Francesca Woodman. In 1981, Woodman sadly killed herself at the age of twenty-two, leaving behind a vast body of work. Despite her regrettably short life, Woodman left behind a legacy; a beautiful body of self-portraits which both document and give insight into the instinctive creative being that she was.

Daughter of painter George and ceramicist Betty Woodman; Francesca Woodman was brought up in a creative environment and taught to nurture her talent and interests from an early age. Surrealism [1] had always been a core interest of hers and its influence grew steadily with the development of her practice. Her photographs were mostly taken using a medium-format camera, which produces a square negative. Unlike many fellow photographers working at the time, Woodman printed her own photographs, considering the production to be equally as important as the staging of the shots. Through photographic manipulation, which at times included burning or handwritten scrawls across the bottom, Woodman produced totally unique prints.

She studied at The Rhode Island School of Design between the years 1975-78, during which time her tutors could see she was leaps and bounds ahead of other students and therefore graduated a year early. In her final year, she studied abroad in Rome. This was a transformative period for Woodman as she not only integrated in amongst young Italian artists, but she also had access to local bookstores in which Surrealist texts could be bought. This saw the movement’s influence growing steadily across her photographs.

Woodman’s self-portraits are raw, eerie and imbued with a contemplative atmosphere. Mostly shot in monochrome and rarely colour, the black and white adds to the sense of foreboding present throughout her work. Woodman often sought out derelict buildings as her photographic spaces, blending herself into the fading wallpapers and dark corners of the rooms. Highly experimental with her poses, she sought to disappear into the photograph; blend seamlessly into the composition. ‘Am I in the picture? Am I getting in or out of it? I could be a ghost, an animal, or a dead body, not just this girl standing in the corner...?’

She rarely photographed or was photographed by others, preferring instead to work in isolation; employing a pose-to camera tripod working method in the neglected spaces. Inhabiting these tattered places, with cracks down the wall and the cold seeping in, Woodman set to work with intensity and commitment which saw the occurrence of a vast amount of visual experimentation.

Space and movement were core themes to her photographic experiments. As well as capturing herself obscured by shadows and peeling wallpaper, Woodman often photographed herself in gliding movement, resulting in eerie blurring of the body and the face. Through this use of movement, she maps out a space which is both imaginary and constructed. In many photos, she remains entirely blurred, whilst the environment she inhabits comes out in perfect focus. Could these moments signify an internal wish for disappearance? Her writings often refer to this, with notes such as ‘I finally managed to do away with myself, as neatly and concisely as possible…’. Although most likely referring to the photographs themselves, her artistic oeuvre would suggest that there was an underlying internal wish for vanishing completely – perhaps from life itself. This is particularly evident in her blurring and obstruction of her face. The face is the component through which people are identified; yet her concealment of it suggests a reluctance to be recognised.

Throughout her work, Woodman employed props such as snakes, fur, mirrors, lace, skulls and clothing; all of which demonstrate a hint of Surrealist influence. A strong recurring theme throughout her work was the use of the mirror, which she utilised not only to reflect herself, but the dark empty spaces she inhabited and photographed. Isolation and solitude therefore resonate throughout her photographs; emphasised by the fleeting way in which she captures of herself

Not only did Woodman experiment with notions of identity within her photographs, but she also defied conventional representations of the female body. Although she photographed herself either full or partially nude, the sexual potential of the photograph is overwritten by the presentation of her compositions. She often manipulated the body, contorting skin and pressing it up against surfaces, or pinching it into place using props. Despite the serious atmosphere of most of her work, through the creation of her compositions an element of playfulness is also present. She made her body entirely malleable, often hoisting herself up to hang from doorframes, balance precariously on chairs, peep out from behind a curtain or piece of fabric; almost as if she was playing a game of hide and seek with herself and the camera. A child, alone and hiding in an empty abandoned space.

Alongside this, she often remains somewhat hidden in the portraits; only partially revealed, creating an air of entrapment. This is particularly evident in works such as ‘Space 2’, in which she has physically trapped herself in an abandoned glass display case. Shadows, darkness and obscurity were creative tools she consistently employed, making for a distinctive and melancholic photographic style.

Woodman is often referred to as the Sylvia Plath of photography. Although the work stands for itself in terms of being surreal, beautiful and wholesome in its compositions, it is impossible not to read it through the lens of depression and isolation. However, through photography Woodman found both herself and release; the photographs giving her a voice which aided her navigation of life.

Notes:

[1] Surrealism – a twentieth-century artistic movement in which artwork sought to represent and unleash images from dreams and the unconscious

An exhibition of Francesca Woodman’s work is currently running at Tate Liverpool until 23rd September. For more details:

]]>TFPI.02 - Art History With CamillaTFP.AT - Life's What You Make ItDavid GulliverSat, 25 Aug 2018 01:52:11 +0000https://www.tenthfloorphotography.com/blog/2018/8/25/tfpat-lifes-what-you-make-it58b09deb1e5b6cfbfeb1fe36:58b4b5546a49630b4301b379:5b80a9c24fa51af3faeda4e2"Look up, through the trees to feel as small as you can, you hear the clock counting down, the nights are longer now than ever before, but now you see the lights from the town"

- 'Escape the Nest' by Editors

Those of you who read my blog on An Interview With Michael Angus, will know how inspired I was by that man and that I promised a new project based on that interview.

Here it is. Unlike most of my 'collections' the photos from this project will be going into our online store individually.

So, life's what you make it?

After speaking to Michael, I thought about loss, ambition and drive even more and thought about how I wanted to portray that through photography. Well, where do I go for inspiration, comfort and energy? My family and the countryside. When I started to feel anxious as a child I used to isolate myself at times and just think. Sitting there for hours in dreamland.

In adult life it has been the same. Just stare and think. Only difference is you have the ability to act on it. The country is the best place for this: with no one around, or at least at distance. This is where ideas are born. There's something about the country that spurs this on for me. Either that or when the sun is rising before that euphoria is replaced by screaming school kids, lorry drivers and heroin addicts waking up from their slumber in someone else's stairwell. I watch them all from the balcony before retreating back inside to bully the cat. Concentration broken, but ideas written down.

I thought I would share with you, briefly, some of the thought processes when creating an inspired project:

I sat and watched my Mother in Law reading something on her tablet. Wet hair and simply at peace with herself in this moment in time, with a beautiful garden just through those doors. She has made her own life, and is content with what she has achieved.

The wilderness. Hazy and almost surreal it's hard not to get the sense of adventure. Those of you who don't mind getting dirty will know the feeling of just pushing through it all; the satisfaction of ploughing through ferns and nettles. No obstacle too big.

Looking up is an important part of photography. A lot of people end up failing because they don't realise the world is in 360 degrees. They think everything is at eye level. Look up, feel small, capture that original perspective.

Isolation. Although the Tenth Floor is a group photography project, sometimes you just need to reflect, even for a moment. Whether it's thinking about lost loved ones, family, personal issues, just escape. Breathe. Just a minute...

With this final photo, I actually had death in mind, sadly. I was once told that there were two things that would repeatedly show up when you were thinking that way: a robin; or a white feather. I don't believe in that, but when I was shooting a project inspired by a man who lost a child while also thinking about my own losses; there were A LOT of white feathers to be found. To be fair, I was at the coast...

Then you go back home to your troubles, your memories, and it starts again. Michael inspired me to believe that even through the most tragic of loss, you can succeed and pass your knowledge onto others. I'm now a professional photographer, and it's with influential, creative, and inspirational people that this was made possible, even if there is a lot more work to do.

Remember, life's what you make it.

- TFP.David Gulliver

]]>TFP.AT - Life's What You Make ItTFP.AS - Italy and the Tenth FloorDavid GulliverFri, 17 Aug 2018 22:55:34 +0000https://www.tenthfloorphotography.com/blog/2018/8/16/tfpas-italy-and-the-tenth-floor58b09deb1e5b6cfbfeb1fe36:58b4b5546a49630b4301b379:5b75f269cd8366b729872250"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow"

- Anthony J. D'Angelo

Our scene is set in Varenna, Italy, August 2018.

The Tenth Floor Team were invited to shoot a wedding for Antoinette Brown and John Walsh. Sounds lovely you might think, being paid to fly out to one of the most stunning locations in Europe. Of course it is, but this is a photography blog, so we'll stick to that and not the swimming in Lake Como, the fine prosecco, the beautiful food or the cigarettes. mmmmm... NO BACK TO PHOTOGRAPHY.

I was absolutely terrified. Imagine, someone paying for your flights and accomodation, putting all their trust and faith into your ability. Trust me, that camera was glued to my back!

Some people have been asking about the pressure and the processes around a job like that, so for any up and coming photographers, here are the answers.

PREPARATION

Now this was a pain in the arse. If it's a wedding in Leith, or anywhere in Edinburgh or Glasgow, you get to check the place out first. The thing is, you should know your surroundings better than your clients. This was not possible in this case.

This was phase one of winging it.

After the offer, you get an idea of what to expect by spending hours on Google maps and just trying to get an idea of the place. You're sitting there more admiring the beauty of it before snapping back into it and thinking, RIGHT, what do you think they will want? You're already thinking 250/1 second, ISO 400 for black and white and ISO 100 for colour. From Google maps. Sorted.

Then there's the equipment. It starts to look different because it becomes the most precious thing in your possession. I took an arsenal of:

24mm prime lens

50mm prime lens

18-135mm zoom lens

60mm macro lens

10-18mm Wide angle lens

430EXII Speedlight Flash Unit

ALL of which where used at some time, so it's good to have them available. I knew that would be the case. But even at 31, your back takes the strain, and the camera bag is your hand luggage, so no chance of slamming 4 bottles of Famous Grouse in there from the Duty Free. Jeez, I only managed one. (It was 3 nights, it's not like I was taking shots from my lens cap on the day).

Then it was simply a matter of focusing as hard as I could on the flight and preparing mentally. I was already imagining the shots I would be taking and how I wanted them to look. Music often helps this process of preparation. And then we landed in Italy and the nerves were immense.

THE CLIENTS

Now, I knew we were shooting a massive wedding, but these were all people I'd never met. The next step is to get to know them all. Examine their faces. Don't worry, they won't know you're sitting staring at them! After the first night I'd pretty much clocked the good side of everyone there. I was already preparing for editing when I got home and knew which people suited posed shots more than candid; and which suited more hazed and dreamy shots.

But naturally my focal point was the bride and groom.

I was lucky as hell when I saw Antoinette and John. Perfect skin tones, good looks, great character. I knew that luck was on the Tenth Floor's side this time. Making awkward people pose is a photographer's nightmare, and so when you shoot a wedding or event it's always easier when your subject is relaxed.

I have a catchphrase. I go up to a group of unexpected people and shout in a sarcastic tone, "OH SHIT IT'S A PHOTOGRAPHER". I've normally already taken their laughing faces before getting them more naturally.

THE ITALIAN JOB

The last sub-heading had to be done, sorry, but this is the part when we actually hit the wedding day. You always need to be 4 steps ahead, and so we made our way to the venue first thing after a nice relaxing 25 cigarettes.

When you are carrying that amount of equipment, you need to be conscious of the heat also. Be prepared, those shoulders won't last too long when you're gushing 5 litres of sweat a minute.

Thing is, when you haven't seen the environment yet, you find yourself running around like mad preparing. I took a good look around, asked how things are going to play out and then I knew what we had to do, and in the meantime Christina is taking photos of the bride and maids getting their makeup done. Research is hugely important. Now it was the waiting game.

Having had Christina position behind the bride, I was in front, at an area I had previously chosen. I caught the bridesmaids and the bride coming down the stairs:

After this, it was a very quick sprint with my head down to the balcony where they were to be wed. You need to be as stealthy as a ninja when you're up close and shooting away. The bride and groom wanted mostly black and white, and so I shot with that in mind - thinking about contrast and tone.

Then it's full blown concentration, leading to memory loss, exhaustion, sweat and you will never focus as hard as you do now. One hour in and you're feeling like it should already be time for the first dance. Na, rub the eyepiece callus you've developed on the side of your nose from so many photos over the years and wish it goodbye; it will be a stinger in the morning.

STYLE

The clients will outline a particular style they might want, but that will usually be black and white, sepia, HDR, or colour. These are all very basic outlines of a bigger and more complex process, but gives you a great deal to play with. On some of the photos I used tonal differences in black and white, selenium tones mixed with temperature changes, sepia reverted back to black and white, noise reduction, brushing, and clarity adjustments. That's just to name a few.

I had to do this while retaining my own style. These are very much Tenth Floor photos, and my personal style has developed and become more recognisable over the years. Your lovely clients will choose you for this exact reason. My photos are dark, atmospheric and sometimes surreal.

In this case I don't think they would have hired me if they wanted ultra saturated colour, exaggerated eyes making them look like anime characters, or photoshopping in puppies and snowflakes. You need to develop and work on style, but also fit it into the wants of your clients. That's why editing is so important

EDITING

Grab a couple of toasted crumpets and cheese; you're in for a good 14 hour shift. Every day. Make yourself comfortable. In my case it's sitting on a slowly decaying and rotting office chair. No scientist on Earth could identify the odour that decides to enter my nostrils at unspecified intervals from this 2006 chair that has served me so well for 12 years. The fake leather reduced to simply pourous foam.

Anyway. You're cosy, you've cracked a can of Vimto with Jeremy Kyle on in the background. The process we use, we call sifting, is not saving all the photos onto the computer, but instead I go through them all and write down all the numbers of the photos you want to edit. This not only saves space, but is way more effective than trying to view them all on Lightroom and also ensures you have a safe list to make sure none are missed.

Once you've find your perfect batch, open the Red Bull. You're already 4 hours in. Then select the ones you want to edit using their codes and import them into Lightroom.

Unpause Jeremy Kyle to find out if the guy had cheated, eat some Doritos, or perhaps some Dairylea Dunkers, and then commence the editing process.

The beauty of all of this is that I've trained so well on Lightroom, Silver Efex and Photoshop that I know my style, yet how to tweak it as necessary. I built the Tenth Floor and I know what I want my photos to look like, and sometimes I can edit an entire photo just by using the histogram. Don't even need to look at the picture itself until later (to make sure I was right)

Tina watched me do that and I thought she was gonna faint. Turns out she was just finding out someone wasn't the father on Jeremy Kyle and I had lost her attention some 30 minutes ago.

Boring, but it's a great time saver though. Learn your histogram!

On the Tenth Floor we don't believe in people waiting 6 months for photos because there were Netflix binges to be had, we like to get photos to people when it's still in their memory. Not only that, we find that feeding them in batches keeps the excitment going; knowing that there are more, and they are anticipating them. As I am writing this, I have 60 more for the bride and groom that they haven't seen yet. Speaking of which...

EMOTION

Imagine it. You're 10 hours in. There was that one photo that took an hour. You're shattered. Emotions start kicking in. So you find yourself sitting there getting weirdly emotional about someone else's day that you have been a part of.

You're 12 hours in and have spent hours zooming into every little detail of people you don't really know. You begin to forget you were actually really there at all.

You decide to look back on your work, and there's nothing but sheer joy in every photo. It means you're doing your job properly. And then you remember it. You remember what it felt like watching two people so in love having the best day of their lives. They stop being pixels on a screen. Adjusting oranges in black and white goes away, the amplifying of whites, the dehazing, the curve control all means nothing and you sit back, and you appreciate the fact that you have captured a special moment in time.

You start to think.

"I wonder if their Great Grandchildren will see these?"

"I wonder if they will make albums that their Great Grandchildren will show their children, that wedding on 4th August 2018. That one special day"

"Oh my God, everyone looks so HAPPY. I didn't even notice that through the editing process."

It is emotional, and trust me, it's not just me. When Christina is putting in a shift, I've seen her in tears over this wedding. We don't know the psychology behind it; perhaps no one does. It is, however, powerful, surreal and overwhelming.

That leads me to my next point

ENJOYMENT

So, after going through the processes above, you might be wondering why I do it, right?

It's simply because every human on Earth has something to say to the world. Everyone has their power to make a mark. Some people are fantastic musicians, some can craft a door like no other, or some can deliver the best in customer service. It doesn't matter what, but what does matter is that you are doing what you want to do.

Just so happens, for me, that's photography. It's been a stress, yeah it's been hours and hours, but it's worked and is still growing all the time and we've only just built a portfolio large enough to go into full trade and business next month, with future partnerships such as Secret Door Photography and AMG Lettings.

With hard, hard work you can actually acheive anything. I used to think that was nonsense, but then one day I plunged right into it.

It's been a hell of a ride, but when you push yourself it works...

So, for those that were asking, that is the photography pressures and processes. Shout the loudest with a clenched fist. Some photo shoots will fail. Some photos will be better than others and that's life. Just keep on going.

Now, I sat and thought, 'I'm hardly an entertainer'. How can I pull this off?

On the countless amounts of photoshoots I've been on, I've been described as mysterious, stealthy, subdued, quiet and, maybe, a little away with it. But that's my job. Although photographers may seem a little in your face at times, usually you shouldn't even notice we are there, and so those terms are actually complimentary. How sad...

Anyway, I struggled to think about how to go about it. See, I have no problem talking in front of people, and training my own team is never an issue; but strangers. They're gonna think I'm odd. Surely.

I had to practise. So I offered a free photowalk and sent out the invite on Facebook. I got a pretty good response, and obviously the team wanted in on the action as well, which helped the numbers considerably.

So there's me, up at 3am the night before planning what I'm gonna say, how to direct people, and where to go and what to say. I thought I was set.

The day hits and I headed to meet the group at Greyfriar's Bobby. I gathered them and let them all know what was happening and we embarked upon our journey.

BUT...

I had overlooked one thing. The team are there. Shirley, Grant and Christina are seasoned photographers. I've been on 75 photoshoots to date, and so they just go at it like it's a standard shoot. Going missing, running around, and they don't need any help. I tried to create meeting points, but everyone was everywhere. The people who had not been on a walk before were understandably keeping with me, but the rest were really going at it.

I soon slipped into the same pattern and forgot the script completely. I did at least tell people where we heading at times, and due to the awful weather we had to make a detour.

What should have been a practice run simply turned into a standard Tenth Floor Shoot, with added guests.

Saying that, I learned a lot and know that the upcoming photowalks will be incredible, and so the test was well worth it and I had a great time. After the shoot I asked everyone to send their best photos. (rules were a little different for the team).

Here they are, (without Linda Grey, who's photos will be developed through our methods and posted as a featured photographer.)

- John Rohn

So the time is almost here that Tenth Floor Photography is ready to start trading on a full time basis and on a much more serious level.

I'm writing this at 4am, and working through the night has become the norm for me. As has Red Bull. I'm thinking back to when this all started and I look to the whisps of an idea back in 2016, but I've realised that the idea has always been there. It just wasn't in photography; it was in drawing, painting and sculpture. 2016 was just when I awoke and decided to do something about it. Working in a job I hated, where the only room for creativity was photos and posters up on the walls surrounding my desk. It simply wasn't enough.

RISK

I was relatively well paid at Edinburgh University, but every man has their breaking point. With my wife, Christina, earning around the same through the flexibility of working extra shifts and nights, we were doing pretty well for ourselves and travelling a lot.

Little did she know, I was sitting at work staring into space, depressed, anxious and sick of life and dreaming of something I could show to the world. Naturally my boss picked up on this and realised I could go 8 hours without doing anything. I was though. I was thinking. I was thinking about how much I was willing to risk to make these daydreams become a reality.

I used to work with a guy called Mike when I worked in the Job Centre. He used to keep a map of Edinburgh underneath his keyboard. When I asked him why, it turned out he was learning the city in order to escape and become a taxi driver. He did, and now that's what he does.

I adopted that idea some years later and I had notes under my keyboard all the time. Just scrappy bits of paper I would shove under there when the boss was nearby. Rest assured, however, the risk did not affect the students, and they remained priority when it came to getting paid on time and I helped in any way I could; then it was back to the dream. The true risk started at 5pm, when I finished. This is when I risked my health.

I would work through the night, forcing myself to continuously think of new ideas and how this could possibily work. This carried on on the bus to work, where I was still scribbling ideas down. All of it kept a secret. Was the risk going to be worth it all in the end?

REALITY

Things become harder when your dream becomes serious and real. Upon the birth of Tenth Floor Photography, there was all sorts more to think about. You have to think about website maintenance, social media presence, finances, equipment, clients, your team, expenses, self assessment, forms, business strategy, marketing, advertising, licenses and being a manager.

All of a sudden, the sweet haze of a dream, and a simple Tenth Floor Photography logo meant a lot more. A lot more responsibility, a lot more work, and the struggle of retaining faith in it.

It's all fine and well having a nice logo, a website, and taking photos, but in reality, it's the hardest I've ever had to work when you want to make a living. Your portfolio, the plan and the setup have to be just right to rise above. Hell, right now I would love to just plug in the Playstation VR and kill some zombies; but you need to apply discipline.

GOALS

Having goals is the only thing to keep you going. I try to set myself a goal every day and make sure I hit that. Yeah, sure, sometimes you just break and on goes a movie. But after it you feel like you've just exited a sordid strip bar, and the guilt of not doing enough can be overwhelming. So! To the computer it is to make the preparations you have to to launch a business.

Without daily goals you get nothing done at all, and you just stare at your logo and fall back into dream land hoping it will come to life all on it's own just because you have a website. You would just sit and drink in front of Jeremy Kyle and hope you might get a phonecall because you paid £10 on a Facebook ad. I've been there, and thought it would be easier than it is.

Over a year in and I have gained the discipline I need and a huge portfolio and skills in all types of photography to get it started.

I used to just sit at the computer waiting for something to happen thinking, am I good enough? Thing is, a lot of photographers just aren't. Much like painters and musicians alike, sometimes that talent just isn't there and they will plateau. I learned that the hard way when I tried to play the guitar. Got to a certain point and couldn't improve. Even if I went out and bought the best guitar possible, I still wouldn't be able to play it as well as Jimi Hendrix could on a £50 guitar. Although... I would still love to be a world famous guitarist... Sigh.

Then I thought, hang on, I got into an incredibly competitive art school, there must be something there.

So, setting out goals to improve on my weaknesses, I quickly overcame them and confidence grew. Something I was shying away from such as family events and portraiture was conquered and now all I get is compliments and I still consider that a weak point. Country and landscapes were also something that made me nervous, but I earned a lot and received a lot of praise shooting a trip to Glencoe for tourists, who were overwhelmed with the photos.

Because I set myself goals.

I have quickly realised that through natural ability, I will never hit that limit, like with music, and instead will continue to improve and push myself, creating harder and harder targets. Much like a musician who can play any song they hear instantly, I have went from being able to draw anything I see to capturing good images through the lens. Confidence has saved me, and helped me create a list of goals to succeed.

As long as, at the end of the day, the list has been completed, I am content. Even if those goals weren't to drive business. I can worry about that when our marketing strategy hits.

CHANGE

One thing I was always taught was to cover your work. I can remember being in school and there was always that kid copying you. This never left me, and I kept my business plan a very strict secret until now. The Tenth Floor Team had no idea what was going on most of the time, but have remained loyal. Well, some of them decided it wasn't for them. These are the risks you take to achieve your goals and change is a part of the process.

I can finally announce what Tenth Floor Photography is and it's such a weight lifted. Simply, it's an online space photographers use to showcase their work. Each Resident Photographer is allocated a 'room' on the Tenth Floor which they can decorate as they please. They are free to find their own paid work, for which they are charged 0% commission and can take advantage of group photography, training, trips, selling through the website, taking advantage of our online presence, advertising, and being part of a team; all helping one another.

We focus on creating a space for mental illness, physical illness, and freedom to share emotions and feelings. We often portray this in our work.

The biggest change happening before and just after we go into full on trade on September 1st is that each 'room' on the Tenth Floor will come to life. Through 1-1 meetings with the team, they will be able to design and add to their online space as they please, meaning there will be a lot more content to be seen and explored. Right now, each page is a mere skeleton of what is to come as they all grow. This has been a lengthy process, but change needs to happen in order to achieve the final result. I look forward to each photographer coming to life and taking advantage of not only the online space, but being part of a team with all different styles and abilities, and joining us on trips and training sessions all around the country.

FAILURE

With risk, goals, and changes comes the threat of failure. That's reality; and life. I'm fully aware that at some point in the next 1,2,3 years I may have to throw in the towel. I took a huge risk quitting my job. I set myself goals that are incredibly hard to acheive. I changed as a person and I changed my daily routine and patterns to make this work.

Don't get me wrong, I do actually enjoy working the 9-5 in finance or admin. However, what I enjoy is the money at the end of the month. It doesn't quench the creative thirst. Would I want to be doing that for the rest of my life? If you are good at something, jump at it. If you see the opportunity, take it. Yes, it's scary as hell. Yes, it's hard work. Yes, there's risk. Yes there's change. And yes, you might fail.

But if you don't try you'll never know, right?

(If I fail I could always try the guitar again, yeah?)

NEW WORK

Well I hope you've managed to read this far!

You will be seeing a lot more work from the team in the coming months, and a new design to the pages. You can check out mine here:

- Isaac Asimov

I grew up in a rural village on the West Coast of Scotland called Lochwinnoch. Growing up there meant playing by the river, skimming stones, climbing trees, walking around the country, and building fires.

I did, however, have Glasgow on my doorstep. Only 20 minutes away, Glasgow was the polar opposite of the life I was used to. My late mother worked as a shopping centre manager in Easterhouse, and she used to employ me to help out with promotions at only age 12.

For those of you who don't know, Easterhouse used to be the largest council estate in Europe, and certainly one of the most impoverished in Britain. I believe things have improved over time but there were quite a lot of interesting characters to be seen.

My job, weirdly, was to take photos of people sticking their heads through one of those painted boards using a polaroid camera. I would then sell them to them for 50p. In the late 90's obviously cameras weren't as readily available and if it was now I would definitely have been made redundant! I was always artistic, but at age 12 never knew I would become a photographer some 20 years later.

Anyway, they used to go off with the photos, and then come back and kick off MASSIVELY. They would have scratched the photo on the corner, rubbed white smudges on it, or affected it in some way. They would then shout at me for their money back, but still demand to keep the photo.

Naturally, we all are victims of violence in the city in our lifetimes, whether it's verbal or physical. It's the risks we take when we live in or visit the urban environment. Most of the time we can just shrug it off and completely forget; others can scar you.

I wanted to capture the nature of intimidation and threat in close up and personal shots. For this I had to awkwardly find volunteers to literally start on me: no holding back. The first gentleman was at the top of Leith Walk:

This guy really went for it. I won't go into the details of what he was saying, but he really enjoyed it; screaming for the city to hear! I opted for high contrast, high highlight, low shadows and high structure in the photos to bring out every little detail, and to try to portray the feeling you get when your brain is going through the fight or flight process, and the adrenaline you feel.

The next volunteer was found at Hunters Square, and he was more than happy to participate:

In contrast to the first volunteer, this guy was whispering his threats and abuse, but he was much more up close and personal and began attacking me with his newspaper before cracking up with laughter. Again, I tried to acheive that sense of intimidation and fear.

Last but not least there was this lady on the South Bridge:

This, usually pretty until editing, young lady found it harder to get into character than the others, and initially I was going to exclude them from the collection, but on closer inspection I found that her expressions were that of ridicule. She found it hard to keep a straight face, and there were bouts of anger mixed with laughter which, for me, can easily represent verbal abuse without the fear of physical damage.

Each shoot was done in around 1 - 2 minutes, but the photos chosen are on one continuous blast of the shutter button, so each photo is only seconds apart, representing the spark of violence and how things can get out of hand so rapidly.

I am currently working on a super-collection called Alleyways and Alcohol that I hope you will all enjoy, and these mini-projects all help me get one step closer to its completion.

To see the photos above together, or if you would like to purchase signed prints for your Tenth Floor collection, CLICK HERE

-TFP.David Gulliver

]]>TFP.AO - Tenth Floor: ASSEMBLE!!David GulliverThu, 19 Jul 2018 13:44:03 +0000https://www.tenthfloorphotography.com/blog/2018/7/19/tfpao-tenth-floor-assemble58b09deb1e5b6cfbfeb1fe36:58b4b5546a49630b4301b379:5b5052080e2e72f3e4cc5a24Last weekend proved to be the busiest weekend the Tenth Floor have ever had, with 7 of the 10 of us out on the field. The original plan was for Christina, Shirley, Grant, Jamie and I to cover the Anti-Trump March, here in Edinburgh, while Jonathan and Pamela cover the Pride March in Glasgow. It was all go.

Until something very unfortunate and unexpected occured. One of Christina's patients was terminally ill and decided to marry his fiance at the Western General Hospital, as he had been told he only had days to live. I had never heard of emergency photography before, but I was up to the challenge.

Now, with something as big as a wedding, you need a meeting first; you need a brief. Instead, I had a very short phone call with the bride to be, and prepared myself. Christina came along, not as a photographer, but to guide me on where to go, and to meet the family.

The day went really well, considering. It was emotional, and I poured everything I had into the photos, fully aware that these would be the last professional photos they would have with him.

The best part, however, was what the NHS staff had done for the couple. They had all come together so quickly. They had donated all sorts of decorations, and the beautiful wedding dress was also donated. They made the Hospital Chapel look incredible, beautifully lit and colourful. Little did I know until later that they had also decorated the patient's room and added an extra bed for the new bride to stay over.

A massive congratualtions and thank you is due to Christina, the staff of ward 8, and the tireless effort they put in to make the wedding so unbelievably special.

Back to photography, the worst part was ahead for me. I had to turn the photos round in less than 24 hours, in case the worst should happen. I take a lot of time over each photo, so I knew this would not be easy. A couple of weeks work in less than 24 hours. The Red Bull was stocked up, the playlist was on, it was time! I only got through half by the morning, much to my dismay, however, in the morning we learned the wife had gone home to rest and wouldn't be back until the evening. Jackpot. This bought me enough time to edit the rest.

Finishing the last 70, Christina worked on getting them onto our tablet as I rested. We headed up to the hospital and left the newly weds alone to look through them. I them had a brief discussion with the wife about the transfer of the photos, and Tenth Floor Photography offered her and their daughter a free photoshoot as a wedding present. I let her return to her husband. Shoot complete.

Unfortunately the patient died on Monday, aged only 30, but will remember the amazing effort ward 8 made to make his last memories the best they could be.

Meanwhile, on the Saturday, the Tenth Floor Team where busy in other areas. We had Shirley and Grant on the photography for the Anti-Trump Rally, with Jamie on video duties:

TFPG.GRANT TAYLOR

TFPS.SHIRLEY SIMPSON

TFPX.JONATHAN BISMARK

TFPT.PAMELA GIBSON

I'm very proud of the Team's achievments over the weekend, and as things are going to change dramatiacally in September, we all pulled together to cover these incredible events. The team really showed me what they are made of!

There will be plenty more artistic photos coming up, which have been put on hold recently for events, but keep your eyes peeled for more work from the Tenth Floor Team!

I don't have much interview experience, sadly only taking minutes at soul crushing office meetings.

However, I was certainly up for the challenge. A few days before I struggled to think of what I would ask such an inspirational figure. In the end I followed the most basic of questions through online guidance. HIRE ME BBC NEWS, I'M A PRO, I PROMISE!

We met in the Merchant City, Glasgow, in a really nice bar of Michael's choosing, where he insisted on buying me a pint. I'm already in love. The interview began.

CAN YOU TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?

"My official job title is Senior Lecturer Teaching Fellow in Architecture, based in Strathclyde University. I used to be a full time Architect some years ago!"

Michael went on to explain that he teaches further advanced students to really think outside their comfort zones.

"Sometimes I make them draw upside down, I just have that desire to explain and help my students understand"

Michael enlightened me by informing me that he is also a published author.

"I mostly focus on children's books, but I also enjoy travel writing. I have written books such as 'The Beautiful Coat', for Katy. I'm also working on a Science Fiction Novel, and for my late son, 'The Pointless Rose'. I'm also working on a new book called 'The Good Hoover"

Michael then told me the plot, but you will have to wait for that to be published. You can view Michael's work here:

"I actually taught myself how to swim by trying to drown. Yep, I used to just go for it, and the lifeguard eventually just thought I was playing about. It certainly tested him!"

"I also love photography and music. I really love what the Tenth Floor are doing, and have created projects for my students that are similar to what the Tenth Floor is about"

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO ARCHITECTURE?

"My Dad. Although he actually did nothing at all to encourage this directly. It was just the feeling of passing the trade, you know?"

"Actually I kind of messed up through Uni, I moved in with a girfriend of mine at the time because she had central heating (that wasn't the only reason!)" , he laughs, "but I had a sort of epiphony and really started to get my stuff together in 4th year. I realised I really had to make this work"

"Haha, I actually surpised one of my old lecturers, Simon Winstanley, when he caught me teaching. Is that Michael Angus? It can't be!"

"After that I guess I just continued what I was doing and things progressed!"

TENTH FLOOR PHOTOGRAPHY OFTEN UTILISE EMOTIONS RELATING TO LOSS, ADDICTION, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND DEATH INTO PHOTOS, BUT HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT EXPRESSING THAT IN ARCHITECTURE?

"You know, when I have been doing a lot of trekking, the training, through landscapes or the city, it's provoked all sorts of thoughts about my relationship with the world; being in a position of grief and loss. The natural world persists no matter what, so it took on a sort of different resonance, but the city, all sorts of thoughts came up about architecture and the city."

"Buildings are in the process of decay, like everything else, although we build them to represent a sense of permanence. Often we won't see them decay in our lifetimes, but in a sense we build them to almost condradict the sense of loss. On the other hand I feel that Glasgow has let me down, Glasgow doesn't accommodate my loss. The Victorian architecture with all the columns, it's symmetrical, it's all very proper, and so crying in front of that building, for example, wouldn't work; it's not going to cuddle us, there's no sense of a safe space. Only purpose."

The 'Haven' was a project Michael gave to his students to build structures that do accomodate a safe space. This was exhibited in 2018.

"With the Haven project, I found students making buildings that in their own way looked frail and delicate, which is a natural response, and you might think that's the correct response, on the other hand, you could just look at at it and think oh f**k that, I'm in a bad way and look at the state of that building!'"

"There is a plus side to these buildings [Glasgow], in that they offer stability, security, strength, but there's always pros and cons, and buildings can change the way we behave, and that response may not always be correct, or the one we want to be around at that time."

I then asked Michael how actually do you go about expressing loss in something so permanent.

"Take Buckminster Fuller, he was a nobody, and then his daughter died. He then BECAME Buckminster Fuller, every architect will know who he is. Just looking at his work. He came up with the Eden Centre. It's noted that everything he designed and created was a direct result of the death of his daughter; he was motivated by it."

"I run a fifth year unit, and that unit is now focused on creating Utopian visions, and I'm just encouraging students to imagine a better version of the world. So really I just transfer my loss into that hopeful thing. Building is always hopeful."

"When we designed the Angel's Stations, I often thought there was a danger of making them 'F**K off buildings'. You know, like castles and that, those kinds of buildings. 'If you have no purpose here then f**k off!', those kind. Big walls and small windows you know!?"

"I felt that with the Angel Stations there was a risk of feeling too enclosed. I have a senstation when someone gives you a full hug, you can feel enclosed. I actually spoke to a counsellor about that, and although a hug is good, the full hug can actually make anxiety worse."

"It's all about trial and error. You can draw something and make it, that's one way of doing it. Buildings are always built with the best intentions, but years down the line people come along and think, 'we're doing this wrong', but as long as there's at least a sense of intention, it will exist."

"Take Maggie's Centres, their buildings all have their kitchens right in the centre. The idea is that kitchens are often viewed as the heart of the home. Just like when people at parties all flood to the kitchen and hang out there."

"So the project has been given the green light for next year, and what we need to think about is that when making a building for someone with mental health conditions, it's so variable. You really need to be careful. Some people might want to be around a lot of people, others; alone. Also you might not even know that's what you want. So the challenge is creating something that can provide for everyone. It really has to be variable. Take Glasgow School of Art, that has loads of different spaces. Nothing is uniform. It's rich in spacial variety."

Sadly Michael had lost his son, Christopher, in 2014. I asked him if he was comfortable talking about him, in relation to the subject of loss.

"He was just perfect. He didn't come from me in that we were so different. I look at my daughter and it's like looking in the mirror. We prefer the rain to the sun, you know? I don't know where Christopher came from, I couldn't believe he was mine, the world just didn't faze him at all, it just bounced off him."

"After his death I was signed off from work. Yeah, I struggled through mental health conditions. I was hearing things, seeing things. The doctor just kept on signing me off. I remember someone calling my name at night. Easy to pass it off as stress, thinking 'I don't have a mental problem'. After Chris' passing, I just got handed this menu of issues. But you don't choose, you just get the lot: anxiety, depression... well it's PTSD isn't it? Actually it's PTS, 'cause I don't agree with the term disorder. You just get the grief menu and the portions are massive."

"Weirdly I feel grateful for it, because I understand people better for it, and it's helped me look at the world differently, and it's helped me inspire my students."

"You know, I started up this Backgammon club. All the members were of a certain age, you know, where the meeting starts with everyone telling everyone about their aches and pains. We're all getting to that age where things are starting to f**k up! And, one guy says, 'oh my arthritis hasn't been too bad this week', and I say, 'oh that's funny, my anxiety hasn't been that bad this week!'. Oh the silence! It's just as real as anything else. They have got to the point where they can laugh at their physical problems and make fun of it, where people with mental problems haven't gotten to that stage yet. We need to be able to laugh at it. Panic attack hahaha. 'Oh there's me just had a panic attack in front of loads of people, what an idiot"

After this, Michael and I discussed mental health issues and stigmas in great length.

I asked him if he plans on incorporating the theme of loss and mental illness into future projects, to which he replied,

"We do. We build. We care. We continue"

CHARITY

Michael has done a lot of charity work for Bloodwise. We were the photographers for one of the events he was involved in.

He has also done treks in aid of Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, and plans to keep that up, along with expressing himself through photography and writing.

MICHAEL ANGUS AND THE TENTH FLOOR

I was truly honoured to have the chance to interview such a talented and inspirational man. We photographed some of that work, and I was obsessed ever since. With the Tenth Floor being a concept of Residents being able to put work and emotions into their fictional rooms online, Michael is aiming for that in physical form. The similarity really struck me.

I would like to thank Michael for opening up so bravely about loss; something so close to my own heart. The Tenth Floor Team look forward to meeting him and will do all we can to support the incredible work he is doing.

IN MEMORY OF CHRISTOPHER 2007-2014

]]>TFP.AN - An Interview With Michael Angus - Author and ArchitectTFP.AM - The Photographic ProcessDavid GulliverMon, 09 Jul 2018 16:39:56 +0000https://www.tenthfloorphotography.com/blog/2018/7/9/tfpam-the-photographic-process58b09deb1e5b6cfbfeb1fe36:58b4b5546a49630b4301b379:5b4370ac575d1f7f89b78541Taking photos is fun. Everyone likes it, and everyone is able to do it. Taking photos professionally is fun, but not everyone is able to do it. This is not only because some people simply don't have the eye for it, it's because of the work it involves after the photoshoot.

Recently I've come across people who simply don't understand what it involves, and in this post I'll outline it, firstly to simply inform people who might be interested, and secondly to warn those who think it's easy to just be a photographer.

1. THE SHOOT

I recently had a photoshoot for a client that lasted 15 hours. Yep, that's right. I was booked for 15 HOURS. Like I said, taking photos is fun, taking selfies are fun, but when you're being paid a considerable amount of money - the pressure most certainly is on.

I'm not saying that professional jobs aren't enjoyable, but trust me, the adrenaline is through the roof. That camera becomes the most important thing in the world.

So then you get home. You're buzzing and you can't wait to see how they turned out. Card goes into the computer and you start looking through them. The buzz hits its climax when you sit back and think, "I nailed it". Then off to bed you go. You're already hours in, be it 4,5,15, that's the shift you have just done.

2. THE SIFTING

The next step is the sifting. On a huge shoot, I can easily take over 2,000 photos. Looking at them is fine and well, but now I need to choose the best ones. I do this by opening them in a regular photo viewer and writing down the file names of the ones I want to keep. See below:

This might seem easy, but it most certainly is not. Imagine you are holding a camera that takes 7 shots a second like the one I use. You're going through them and an awesome one pops up. You write down the file name, 14 shots later there's a better one. You then spend hours choosing that perfect shot and you aren't even into editing yet..

3. LIGHTROOM, SILVER EFEX AND PHOTOSHOP

Yep, believe it or not, we don't use Instagram filters. In order to provide the best work for clients, we use professional software. You won't see any bunny ears or cat faces, or fake bubbles. This is the real deal.

Taking excellent photos reduces editing time. You really shouldn't have to dabble in Photoshop to get results, just give up if that happens too often, because you're just not good. I tried to learn the guitar; same thing happened. Just like a musician listening to an out of tune singer, a photographer can pick apart every part of your photo.

So now it is the time to bring out the best in your work. Settle in, because a 15 hour photo shoot will take 30 hours to edit, resulting in only 200 final photos if you want them to really pop without taking the moles off people's skin or anything weird like that.

People think that it's only about taking the photos and then they send send them. WRONG. This is the hardest you will ever work in photography. It's HOURS. It's sitting through the dead of night making artistic decisions as to whether a photo should be put through Silver Efex to make it black and white in the correct way, it's about who makes the final cut and who doesn't, it's about file organisation, memory, labeling, folders, cropping, vignetting, saturation, highlights and shadows, white balance, exposure, dehaze, noise reduction and contrast. It's not taking a tacky HDR photo with your iPhone.

This, my friends, is photography. This is the gritty background of it. Already you might think it's a bit more work than you thought?

3. THE UPLOADING

We live in a world where the internet is fast and awesome, right? Yeah, we do, but professional photographs are massive. They aren't Happy Meal quality photos you slam onto instagram and they upload in a flash. They take some time.

So you've got all your photos from that shoot, they're edited and you're 9 Red Bulls in. Upload time. The upload starts and you know that 60 files is a good hour or 2. So you download some Jeremy Kyle and get yourself comfortable with a Pot Noodle.

But there's something wrong. Oh fuck, into the second ad break, just before the lie detector results you realise you haven't watermarked them. So it's into Photoshop, wait for 60 to transfer there, and then watermark them all. Another hour or so gone.

We're all good now, the photos are watermarked and ready to go. But now they need to be sent.

4. THE SENDING

This is where souls come to perish. You've done the shoot, you done the editing, your client is waiting, but now you have to watch little bars load on Google Drive for an hour or so. After staring at complete strangers for hours and zooming into their faces, trust me, you get the 1000 yard stare.

5. THE AFTERMATH

The photos are sent and you've moved onto the next task. All of a sudden you get a messages saying,

"Oh can I see more of the photos, don't worry about editing, I just want to see them all". - NO

"Can you make little Jubilee black and white?". - NO THAT GOES THROUGH 3 PROGRAMS

"Is it cool to have just ten more?". - JUST GIVE ME 5 MORE HOURS OF SOLID WORKING

"There weren't any of me and Grandma Jane" - YOU DIDN'T TELL ME WHO GRANDMA JANE WAS AND YOU DIDN'T GIVE ME A BRIEF

Me - "Was this Grandma Jane?"

Client - "Yeah xxx"

Me - "Well Grandma Jane was smashed and blinked in every photo despite my instruction, still want those photos?"

"There's more photos of my son than my daughter, can you send more of her?" - NO

People think that 200 photos is a small amount. Trust me, I've been doing this a long time and that is a MASSIVE amount. Coupled with the shoot, you're looking at tens of hours. It's not a Tesco job where you work your hours and forget, it's a service you are providing that is far too misunderstood. You are spending hours and hours at a desk creating memories for people that will last for life.

6. THE PERSERVERENCE

You then look down at a ten year old tattoo you got when you didn't even realise that in a decade it would represent the Tenth Floor and you calm down, understand that your clients are just excited and don't know the work that goes in. You try and make them happy by sending those photos of Grandma Jane, or sending more of the daughter and realise that they just want to see their loved ones, and sometimes the quality doesn't matter.

However it's the hours. For anyone wanting to start up in professional level, be careful. It's not only building that portfolio, that's time consuming enough but fun; it's updating your website, it's the admin, it's the requests from clients, it's the Red Bull to get it done, it's working 48 hour shifts, it's marketing knowing that you have a backlog of two shoots,

It's hours and hours.

Just take a look at my office chair:

So this was really an insight into the world after the lens in photography. I encourage anyone to give it a try if they feel they have something to say to the world, but be prepared if you want to do it professionally.

And good luck to all!!

]]>TFP.AM - The Photographic ProcessTFP.AL - AdventuresDavid GulliverThu, 28 Jun 2018 06:14:52 +0000https://www.tenthfloorphotography.com/blog/2018/6/28/tfpal-adventures58b09deb1e5b6cfbfeb1fe36:58b4b5546a49630b4301b379:5b3460532b6a28b9ba45752e"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open"

- Jawaharlal Nehru

Adventures are what we on the Tenth Floor have began to label photoshoots - and a many an adventure we have had.

I would openly admit I'm addicted. There's something incredible about experiencing the world through photography with someone else. It's not the same as going for a stroll or having beers in a park; there's a closeness to it that I can't quite put my finger on.

Maybe it's watching someone else in action, maybe it's the travel all over the country and beyond, or maybe it's just a sense of pride in what each individual is achieving and watching them do what they love most. Maybe I'll never know the answer, just like I can't describe the buzz afterwards.

Now, don't get me wrong, a lot of our adventures have been very wobbly, and at the time aren't enjoyable, but the buzz afterwards remains the same. I'll give you some examples:

Shirley and I totally bailing on a Pet Photography shoot as soon as they started dressing the dogs up.

Me putting my camera and myself at risk trying to capture light trails on the Brooklyn Bridge on a ledge.

Grant and I getting a row for taking a photo of a buzzer system. Really?

The whole team in trouble for taking photos of the exterior of an office building in Newcastle.

Getting into significant trouble for shooting a video and taking photos of a foundry without permission.

Shirley and I getting lost in a park in Dunfermline because I swear my GPS wanted us to get knifed and robbed.

Shirley and I sleeping in a car park because we mistimed our bus.

Pamela and I witnessing someone taking a shit in an alleyway in Glasgow.

Christina, Shirley and I trekking 10 miles over a mountain and my knee and right side caved in, only to be up first thing to shoot the Edinburgh Marathon.

Yet we keep going. We keep going because it feels good after it all. Yeah, the hike was agony at the time, getting into trouble for what seems like no logical reason is worrying at the time, putting our safety at risk is stupid, and the endless hours of work is exhausting, but we are chasing the thrill; that feeling of accomplishment and togetherness.

After each shoot, I sit down at TFP HQ and look through the photos and I laugh. We all do. Every stupid incident, missed buses, rough sleeping, rough shitting, freezing hands, sores on the side of my nose from the eyepiece of my camera, miles of walking, drunken louts licking lenses (yep that actually happened), and officious people shouting at us; it always ends in a feeling of utter joy.

However, do I get the same elation when I'm out alone? The answer is sadly - no. There's a whole dynamic in group photography that creates the 'good times', and I crave it.

You give too much of yourself into photos when you're alone, and they are hard to look at if you were feeling unwell that day, or if you were out to depict something close to your heart, without Camilla, Jamie, Adam, Amy, Scott, Shirley, Grant, Amy and of course Christina to lighten it up at times.

Recently I went out alone. It took me a while to leave the house, but the sun was beginning to go down and I simply couldn't miss it. Here is my photographic journey in one very late night...

Broughton Street lit up in an amazing fashion. To be honest I felt anxious as hell at this point as I usually do on solo shoots, but the photos really aren't difficult in this kind of setting. But I was only starting out. I wanted to portray anxiety - the most dangerous of my themes.

I was able to calm myself at the old St James' Centre. I played around with Aperture to achieve the silhouette and bring out the sky. From this point I really didn't know where I was going. It was a classic David solo adventure. I figured I would just head to the Old Town.

So then I began concentrating on my theme. I chose this particular photo because, quite simply, it messed with my eyes. Even in real life it's awful to look at. Stare at the photo for 30 seconds and then look away. See, brutal. Who designed this? Or maybe that's just me. At this point I knew the Cowgate was the only destination for my needs.

There's something about shooting from the outside looking in that always fascinates me. Although I could easily enter that Kebab shop, when you see the image, it creates a sense of loneliness - something I was not aiming to convey. Similarly, passageways looking in create a similar, ominous feeling. Oh shit, Opium.

Opium Nightclub is a dive. Everyone knows that. But that's what makes it great. It's a No Bullshit metal bar. In a world where people need to try beers before they buy them, sniffing them endlessly while I wait for a Tennents, Opium provides a down to Earth experience that lets people express themselves without people asking where a specific beer came from, or what its hop count is only to go and sip on a scooner for 2 hours, commenting on its taste after every sip, making sure they suck every last drop out of their waxed beards afterwards.

Now, in a place I'm comfortable, I needed to find my theme. I needed to piss also. As I was doing said deed, I thought, 'na Dave you can't'. But before I knew it, I'm in a cubicle unzipping the camera bag. Shit, it was too dark. Then I'm strapping on the flash. Imagine walking into a toilet and seeing photography flashes coming from a locked cubicle? All sorts could be happening. I calmed myself and listened. Eventually my time came and the sound of pissing dissipated and I had a brief moment to get my shots outwith my cubicle safe space.

Problem was, I still needed to pack up my gear. So someone walks in and I'm removing my flash, putting the lens cap on, and trying to put the camera in the bag. He just stared at me. Didn't say anything, just didn't stop staring, like I was an alien, as he was pissing. Yep, just stared like I was about to perform a magic trick, or maybe that I was a terrorist. That confused frown. I made a hasty exit...

Moving on, the sun had well and truly said goodnight. Summer adventures are difficult when you want to take night shots for two reasons: It's so late you are in danger from drunken arseholes; and you need to be out until 3am. I had seen this shot during a meeting with Jamie, our videographer, and was determined to come back.

Excuse my ignorance, but I don't have a clue who that man is, but the position and half image is incredibly imposing. I actually spent close to an hour here. The alleyway was almost pitch black, and I needed to bounce my flash off of different areas to create the atmosphere I wanted. This for me represents the inner thought processes that linger and fuel anxiety.

Then I'm afraid it was home time. A classic David adventure. Riddled with anxiety, surrounded by wasted people who act like they've never seen a 'big camera'.

So, you might wonder if the buzz was the same? Like I said before, again, no. I didn't enjoy the experience, no, but unlike shoots with my team, that didn't go away. There was no one to sit with and look at them and laugh; instead there is a feeling from each of the photos that I was indeed alone.

The concept of group photography is in fact a new thing with the rise of Instagram and phones, and I can only feel utter gratitude for the team I have assembled and the experiences Tenth Floor Photography has given me.

Of course there will be more solo adventures, but this applies to any aspect of life, even outside of photography. Surround yourself with people you love and you can express yourself better. You then have memories to share and not to explain.

- TFP.David Gulliver

]]>TFP.AL - AdventuresTFPI.01 - Art History with CamillaDavid GulliverThu, 21 Jun 2018 14:03:44 +0000https://www.tenthfloorphotography.com/blog/2018/6/21/tfpi01-art-history-with-camilla58b09deb1e5b6cfbfeb1fe36:58b4b5546a49630b4301b379:5b2b8fcd03ce64228cc496e5Introducing a new series of Art History blog posts written by TPFI Camilla Irvine-Fortescue, who has a Masters in Modern and Contemporary Art History. The blog posts will be published on a monthly basis and each will feature a different photographer who contributed to the history and evolution of photography.

History of Photography: Man Ray

‘To me the artist was that privileged being who could free himself from all social constraints…If the artist suffered and struggled, then he had not freed himself from constraint’ – Man Ray

Surrealism often calls to mind the painted works of Salvador Dali or René Magritte; a melting clock, a man in a bowler hat with his features obscured by an apple, bizarre and dreamlike landscapes. Yet there is also a branch of Surrealist photography, of which Man Ray (b.1890) was a pioneer. Man Ray was an American visual artist and photographer who is renowned for his camera-less photography, visually striking portraits and experimentations with light. Although associated loosely with the Surrealist and Dada [1] movement, Man Ray made significant contributions to both.

Originally a painter, Man Ray’s artworks were exhibited, sold and housed in private collections. However, it was his photographs which truly projected him into the art world’s limelight. Unlike a lot of artists who practiced both photography and painting, he flitted between the two throughout his life, often frustrated that people could not view him as both an artist and a photographer. For Man Ray, ‘there was no conflict between the two – why couldn’t people accept the idea that one might engage in two activities in his lifetime, alternatively or simultaneously?’

Man Ray had a close circle of friends within the New York art scene and most of these companions would periodically become his sitters. Man Ray fed off human relations and sought to capture the personality along with the features of his models through his photos. He would often spend time with subjects prior to them sitting for his portraits and his lively social life fed his creativity and urge to capture the world. Several of his friends were widely travelled and Man Ray often enjoyed pairing his sitters with elements from their home life, such as exotic masks they had collected on their travels. His famous sitters included Gertrude Stein, Picasso, Ernest Hemmingway, James Joyce and Henri Matisse to name a few, as well as rich aristocrats and fashion models.

Man Ray is most renowned for his portrait and fashion photography; shooting for Vogue, Harper’s Bizarre and Vanity Fair throughout his career. His style was simple, elegant and glamorous. The female body, as it so often is in art, was a core focus of his work. He had several muses over the course of his career (with Lee Miller being a primary one, pictured above) and he often ending up in romantic partnerships with his muse of the time. Man Ray’s painterly roots are most explicit in his work featuring the female body. For years, he attended weekly life drawing classes in New York in which he developed a great understanding of expressing the figure through line. This enabled him to better understand and manipulate the curves of the body to produce interesting and striking imagery.

The Surrealist influence is prevalent throughout several portraits, particularly in his more experimental photography. While Lee Miller was his photographic assistant (and lover), Man Ray redeveloped the photographic technique of solarization. This sees the image recorded on a negative or photographic print as wholly or partially reversed in tone. Dark areas appear light and light areas appear dark due to the release of ions diffusing to the grain surface, in amounts significant enough to destroy the grain image.

Moving from New York to Paris in 1921, saw the beginning of Man Ray’s love affair with France. For most of his life and initially during the war, France became his home and studio base. Following this move, Man Ray began intense experimentation with photographic techniques, inventing his first rayographs, for which he became renowned. The rayographs are a play on the word photogram; Man Ray instead punning his own name and the word photograph. The rayographs were created without a camera, by placing objects directly onto a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. This results in a negative shadow image varying in tone and transparency. Areas of the paper that were obscured from the light appear white and those exposed appear grey. His choice of objects from these experiments were often inspired by the playful attitude of Dada or were simply items littering his studios. Through these works, he found that ‘I have finally freed myself from the sticky medium of paint and am working with light itself’.

An artist whose work transcends the boundaries of time through his innovative techniques and inspirational compositions, Man Ray is a photographer who was one of the first to truly interrogate the value of photography in art.

[1] Dada – An art movement that formed during the First World War as a response to the horrors and atrocities of war. Like Surrealism, Dada is nonsensical and is composed of art, poetry and performance.